Barrington, Rochester middle schools back on the base paths

BARRINGTON — When Terry Leatherman was the assistant principal and athletic director at the Nottingham School, he wondered why Barrington Middle School was without a baseball or softball team.

After being named the principal at Barrington in July 2013, Leatherman was approached by several parents asking for baseball and softball to be brought back to the middle school. The last time baseball or softball was played at Barrington middle school was in 1992 when both teams took home league titles.

Consequently, a similar initiative took place 15 minutes up Route 125 from Barrington at Rochester Middle School in February when a group of eighth-grade boys asked principal Valerie McKenney what she thought about having a school baseball team. Rochester had never had a middle school baseball team before.

Neither school could fund the programs but fundraising efforts by parents, as well as a few local sponsors, made the teams a reality this season. The Barrington Youth Association also provided support by offering the Barrington teams to use the BYA’s fields and equipment.

Barrington Athletic Director Chris Morrill called Leatherman an “avid sports fan” and said the new principal really wanted to see baseball and softball among the school’s athletic programs.

Leatherman said he wanted the sports back in Barrington because of the role sports play in a young student’s life.

“I think middle school sports are very important social aspect for students,” Leatherman said.“Sports are a great way to get students involved and to learn some lessons they can’t learn in the classroom. Sports are also a great way to make connections with students.”

Morrill said the baseball and softball programs in Barrington came to an end in 1992 after the athletic department decided to drop them. According to Morrill, the school’s reasoning was that playing in the town league as well as for the school was too much for the kids.

“The Barrington Youth Association is an amazing program with very strong town baseball and softball programs,” Morrill said. “Kids would come home from school baseball and softball games and then immediately would have to bomb down to the BYA fields for their town games. The athletic department felt that it was a bit of overkill and that dropping baseball and softball would be a great opportunity to introduce track and field as well as lacrosse.”

The BYA has been providing students a chance to play ball with the town for years and BYA President Scott Fillion said coexisting with the school programs this season has not presented any problems.

“I think it offers the kids just another opportunity to play,” Fillion said. “And these kids are getting better. They are playing for multiple teams and the communication between the BYA, the school and the kids have been great.”

There was a push to bring softball back in 2003 after the girls’ 12U Barrington All-Stars won the New England Babe Ruth softball championship and went to the Babe Ruth Softball World Series. Morrill said the initiative ran into some opposition from individuals who thought it might have a negative impact on the town’s league, resulting in the administration snuffing out the program.

This year, Leatherman has brought in a new philosophy and conducted forums for parents to gauge the interest in bringing back baseball and softball.

“With very little funding, two individuals who donated their time to coach, and finally, with a larger student body, the program was brought back to life,” Morrill said.

The baseball coach is Seth Wentworth, who currently works at the school on the maintenance staff and played baseball in the BYA as a kid.

Bob Veno coaches Barrington middle school softball team and is also the facilities manager and a board member for the BYA.

“It’s great to have the school teams now,” Veno said. “The public was all over it when they heard about it. (The kids) are really fun to watch, are great to coach and they work hard.”

As of last Thursday, the softball team had an outstanding record of 9-0 with two games left in its season.

Funding was the major obstacle for the Barrington and Rochester programs. Leatherman said the Parent Teacher Council in Barrington donated some money to offset the cost of uniform tops. The parents bought pants for their kids individually.

Leatherman also said Veno donated his stipend salary to offset some of the cost.

“Some other bills have not come in yet,” Leatherman said. “When they do, I will be picking up the cost. I don’t think this will be huge though.”

In Rochester, parent fundraising has been the main source of support for the baseball team. USA Training Centers and D.F. Richard Energy in Dover have stepped forward as sponsors for the team.

“(They) were the first sponsors we received once we got the ‘OK’ from the school board to put this team together,” said Amy Malone, a mother who spearheaded the initiative by parents to get the Rochester Middle School baseball team off the ground. “It helped tremendously to have these companies support us. We have several more interested businesses we are waiting on.

“It’s the first year and this team will always get to say ‘I played for the first ever Rochester Middle School team,’” Malone continued.“It’s something nobody will ever be able to take away from them. Not only did they play, but many on the team took the initiative to start it and work hard for it. There were even several boys who helped this team raise funds who didn’t even try out or want to play baseball. Students at RMS came together to support each other. I think going forward this will open up more opportunities for all kids in Rochester.”

Rochester’s budget for 2014-15 was cut, leaving no room for the baseball team. The responsibility to keep the team running is mostly on the parents. Barrington will try to integrate the baseball and softball teams into its budget for 2015-16.

“When you plan these things out as an athletic director, it’s about sustainability,” said Rochester Athletic Director Kevin Hebert. “The key is having a plan to sustain it beyond two or three years. The groundwork and planning the parents left in place for incoming parents will continue to fundraise and support the team.”

In Rochester, the equipment, uniforms, bussing, and officials are all supported by fundraising. The coaches are volunteering their time, but are still within Hebert’s jurisdiction.

“It’s very unique,” Hebert said. “The first time in my four years that this has happened.”

Hebert said Rochester Middle School softball could be “likely” in the future, but it would rely solely on fundraising, just like the baseball team.

Similar to the situation in Barrington, the majority of players on the Rochester Middle School team also play in the local Babe Ruth league.

“This gives them the chance to represent their school, have Rochester Middle School Timberwolves on their uniforms,” Hebert said.

Hebert will sit down with the officials from the Babe Ruth league at the end of the season to discuss how things went.

“City and school relations are the most important thing,” Hebert said. “The two programs can coexist.”